The present invention relates to a liquid crystal module mounting structure, and more particularly to a structure for mounting a liquid crystal module serving as a display to a mobile terminal such as a note type personal computer or a laptop computer.
A liquid crystal module mounted to a note type personal computer or a laptop computer will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrative of a note type personal computer or a laptop computer mounted with a liquid crystal module serving as a display. The personal computer comprises a body 20 and a cover 10. A liquid crystal module 1 serving as a display of the computer is mounted to the cover 10. The liquid crystal module 1 has a peripheral region surrounding a display area, and this peripheral region has a plurality of screw holes 1b. The cover 10 also has fixing parts 3 at positions corresponding to the screw holes 1b of the liquid crystal module 1. The liquid crystal module 1 is fixed to the cover 10 by screws 2 which are driven tightly into the screw holes 1b and engaged to the fixing parts 3 of the cover 10. A display area 1a of the liquid crystal module 1 is smaller in size than an entire part of the liquid crystal module 1 by the peripheral region on which the screw holes 1b are formed. Namely, it is difficult to enlarge the display area 1a of the liquid crystal module 1 without enlargement of the cover 10.
Further, a thickness of the liquid crystal module 1 is decided dependent upon the necessary length of the screws 2 on the basis of the necessary strength in tightly fixing the liquid crystal module 1 to the cover 10. Namely, it is difficult to reduce the thickness of the liquid crystal module 1 with keeping the necessary fixing strength.
In order to have solved the above problems with the conventional liquid crystal module mounting structure of FIG. 1, a side mount type liquid crystal module has been proposed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrative of decomposed side mount type liquid crystal module mounting structure. A liquid crystal module 1 has two opposite side faces which are vertical to a display surface 1a of the liquid crystal module 1. Each of the two opposite side faces has two screw holes 4 which axes are parallel to the display surface 1a. The liquid crystal module 1 is engaged within inside walls of a bottom frame 5. The bottom frame 5 has two opposite side faces, each of which has two screw holes 5a at positions corresponding to the screw holes 4 of the liquid crystal module 1. The liquid crystal module 1 is engaged within the bottom frame 5, whereby the screw holes 4 of the liquid crystal module 1 are aligned to the corresponding screw holes Sa of the bottom frame 5. Screws 6 are driven tightly into the screw holes 5a and the screw holes 4, so as to tightly fix the liquid crystal module 1 to the bottom frame 5. A top frame 7 is placed on the bottom frame 5.
The above side mount type liquid crystal module has the following disadvantage. FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrative of a mounting structure of a side mount type liquid crystal module to an outside frame. A liquid crystal module 1 is engaged within an outside frame 7 and a bottom frame 5, wherein a distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d is present between an inside wall of the outside frame 7 and a side face of a back-light portion 8 of the liquid crystal module 1, so that a screw 6 is driven into screw holes to penetrate the bottom frame 5 and the outside frame 7 and enters into the side portion of the liquid crystal module 1. The distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d is necessary as a margin for driving the screw 6. This distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d as the screw margin results in widening the liquid crystal module 1.
Further, a space defined in the distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d is formed between the outside frame 7 and the back-light portion 8. This space or the distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d makes small a ratio in area of a display surface 1a to the entire part of the liquid crystal module 1. The area of the liquid crystal module 1 is limited by the cover to which the liquid crystal module is mounted. Namely, the space or the distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d makes small a ratio in area of the display surface 1a to the entire part of the cover.
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrative of a side portion having a screw hole of an outside frame shown in FIG. 3. In view of securing a sufficient strength, a screw hole formation portion 4 for forming a screw hole for a screw 6 is made of a metal material, which is heavy more than a resin of a body of the outside frame 7. The metal material for the screw hole formation portion 4 of the outside frame 7 results in increase in weight of the mobile terminal.
Further, the screw 6 has a diameter xe2x80x9crxe2x80x9d. The screw hole formation portion 4 extends in a thickness direction of the liquid crystal module 1. This screw hole formation portion 4 has margins xe2x80x9cm1xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cm2xe2x80x9d. A size of the screw hole formation portion 4 is xe2x80x9cDxe2x80x9d which is the sum of the diameter xe2x80x9crxe2x80x9d of the screw 6 and the margins xe2x80x9cm1xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cm2xe2x80x9d. Those margins xe2x80x9cm1xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cm2xe2x80x9d make it difficult to further reduce the thickness of the liquid crystal module 1.
The above screw formation portion 4 of the side mount type liquid crystal module is required to be formed to avoid a driver IC provided on the module. This means that a freedom in design of signal lines of the driver IC is reduced. The screw formation region of the side mount type liquid crystal module makes it difficult to obtain an optimum layout of the signal lines of the driver IC.
As described above, the screw formation region of the outside frame is made of a metal material, for which reason when the screw is driven through the screw hole in the screw formation region made of the metal material, then it is possible that a metal broken piece is generated, whereby the metal broken piece may form a short circuit on an electronic circuit.
The above described side mount liquid crystal module has a further disadvantage that if the mobile terminal mounted with the side mount liquid crystal module receives an external shock, then a mechanical stress due to the received shock is concentrated to the screw formation region of the outside frame. This mechanical stress concentration may provide damages to the liquid crystal panel and the outside frame.
The cover of the mobile terminal has the screw receiving portion for receiving the screw, for which reason a slide mold is necessary to form the cover. This means that the cost for forming the manufacturing line is high.
The screw receiving portion of the cover comprises a recessed portion which extends from the side face to an inside portion of the cover. The extension of the recessed portion as the screw receiving portion makes widen the width of the cover.
The side mount type liquid crystal module is inconvenient in removing the liquid crystal module from the cover by removing the screws in side direction.
The screw receiving portions are provided on side portions of the cover, for which reason the screw hole formation region is required to have a high strength by use of a high strength metal such as Mg allow which is, however, expensive and heavy and has a low formability.
In the above circumstances, it had been required to develop a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure for a mobile terminal free from the above problem.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure free from the above problems.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure which allows size and weight reductions of the cover mounted with the liquid crystal module.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure which improves operability in assembling the cover.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure which simplifies the manufacturing processes.
It is a further more object of the present invention to provide a cover mounted with a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure.
It is moreover object of the present invention to provide a mobile terminal with a cover mounted with a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure.
The present invention provides a mounting structure for mounting a liquid crystal module to a cover of a mobile terminal. The mounting structure comprises: at least a pair of first and second engagement parts, wherein the first engagement part is provided on a side portion of the liquid crystal module, whilst the second engagement part is provided on a side portion of a structural member of the cover, so that the paired first and second engagement parts are engaged with each other only by fitting the liquid crystal module into the structural member of the cover.
The second present invention provides a cover for a mobile terminal, wherein the cover has a frame member to which a liquid crystal module is mounted by a mounting structure of the first present invention.
The third present invention provides a mobile terminal comprising a body and a cover of the second present invention.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following descriptions.